And just when everything seemed like it couldn't get worse...

Enjoy!


Syaoran knew he was dreaming.

There was a feeling to dreams, particularly those that were created not in his heart or his mind, but by his magic. Syaoran had not inherited his mother's gifts at fortune-telling, but he had enough power to experience foretelling dreams sometimes. There was a heaviness to them that made them distinct, a lucid sort of reality that was almost too real.

But even knowing it was a dream, Syaoran couldn't help but shout in fear, "Sakura!"

Before him, Sakura hung suspended in a dark, empty place. Her eyes were wide open and vacant, the dark pupils entirely swallowed up in green. Her body was wrapped tightly in long streamers of an eerie, pale color. They did not seem to come from anywhere in particular - rather, they were everywhere. They floated in broad, undulating arcs around Sakura's still form, darting forward like serpents to coil around her unresisting body.

Even as Syaoran watched, the streamers doubled in number and in viciousness, squeezing Sakura until Syaoran could see her skin bruising and swelling where it was visible between the ribbons. They wrapped and wrapped around her like the swathing on a corpse, and just as unforgivingly.

"Sakura!" Syaoran cried. But he could not move, could not prevent them. Could not save her.

The streamers began to change color, an inky darkness sliding over them like a stain. Sakura's bound form began to vanish into the blackness of the void.

"Sakura! Sakura!"

And then Syaoran's dream changed into a memory. He found himself looking at his much younger self standing in the small sacred chamber on the second level of the tower once used by the High Priestess Nadeshiko.

"Stand still, please," came Nadeshiko's voice.

The young Syaoran had not been fidgeting, but at the request he snapped rigidly into place at attention in the center of the floor. This chamber had only a few magical sigils around it, as it was meant mostly for scrying rather than more powerful workings.

The High Priestess moved to the top of the simple circle she had drawn on the floor in chalk and spread her arms.

"Reveal the fate of one who stands before me."

Syaoran watched as the room filled with a soft light. He remembered being unable to interpret the powers that had flowed around him, but now as he looked on them with older, more experienced eyes, he could see some of what must have been readily apparent to Kinomoto Nadeshiko. Written in his own magical signature was more than one omen of strife, but also a great deal of power and ability.

Almost as quickly as it had begun, the light vanished and High Priestess Nadeshiko dropped her arms.

"Li Syaoran," she said, taking two steps towards him and settling on one knee before him so they would be of near equal height, "while you have a great capacity for magic, you will probably not be the one who will inherit the powers of Clow Reed. The future is not set, but I don't want you to be disappointed."

Young Syaoran pinched his lips together and nodded.

"However."

This Syaoran remembered well. He felt his heart stir anew at the words that had been spoken to him so long ago.

"You have a critical part to play in breaking the Seal and thus restoring the Kingdom of Clow. But in order to discover what that part is, you must first make me a promise. And it is not a promise you can make lightly. You must give me your word on all your honor and your magic."

Young Syaoran stared at the High Priestess for a moment before asking, "What is the promise?"

"You must swear to protect and watch over the first person to touch you from the moment you leave this tower with me."

"For how long?" Syaoran wanted to know.

"Until Clow Reed's true inheritor is revealed."

Young Syaoran considered carefully before nodding. "All right. I promise in the name of my honor and magic to protect the first person to touch me outside the tower until Clow Reed's inheritor is revealed."

The High Priestess smiled. "Thank you. For as long as you keep to that promise, I know that you will see the Seal broken. And, if it eases your heart, you will find joy on this journey as well, though it will not always be easy."

The memory within the dream began to dissolve. But even as Syaoran lost track of his younger self standing in the tower, he found himself peering into Kinomoto Nadeshiko's eyes, so very like Sakura's. Words trickled to him like drops of water carried on that musical voice.

All Seals can be broken with time, courage, and love. And where power and force of will fail, love will succeed. But remember...

Syaoran had to strain to catch the words as they vanished into darkness.

The darkest curse comes not from an enemy, but from within. And it is this curse that needs the light of love most of all.

Syaoran's eyes snapped open. He sat up cautiously, already glancing to the sky. The position of the sun above showed that it was nearing nightfall. Something told Syaoran that it was not another day, but the same in which he had cast his magic to bind his sword to himself.

But something else told Syaoran that there was danger nearby.

Suddenly, he spotted the pair of birds that served as Madoushi's heralds in the sky above. Syaoran pressed his back to the tree that had sheltered him in his rest and tensed, ready to cast a protective circle around himself if it were necessary; but he held off for fear the use of magic would draw their attention. The birds were winging back towards the castle at speed.

When they had passed, Syaoran rose and looked into the sky after them.

"They wouldn't be going back unless they had finished their mission. And they wouldn't be here unless Madoushi was free of that book. And if she's free and she sent her birds all the way out here…"

Syaoran spun in place so that he was facing the direction from which the birds had come.

"Sakura!"

He charged into the undergrowth with dread in his heart.

-==OOO==-

The feeling that struck Yue was so strong he very nearly faltered in mid-air, only his inhuman reflexes keeping him from being thrown off-balance.

"What is it?" Touya demanded, barely sparing the Moon Guardian a glance; he was too focused on keeping his eyes on the road.

Don't tell him, came Yukito's voice urgently in Yue's mind. It will only upset him.

He's already upset, Yue returned.

Then be vague. Say anything other than telling him that we had a vision of Sakura dead! Do not tell him!

She isn't dead, Yue thought firmly. She only looked dead.

Touya doesn't need to know that much right now. Or have you forgotten how to be vague?

Yue knew he was being teased by his other self, but he still thought with a wash of irritation, Of course not. I learned that art at the feet of Clow Reed himself as you well know.

Then use it!

Yue turned to Touya and chose his words carefully. "I experienced a vision of...tragedy. But I believe the risk has passed." Before Touya could react, Yue added, "And I thought, for a moment, I sensed the presence of Clow Reed."

That revelation was enough to startle Touya into ignoring the first part of Yue's words. "How is that possible?"

It was Mizuki Kaho who answered. "If there were some form of power lending strength to those creations that were of Clow Reed, you might experience an echo of his spirit."

Touya frowned at her. "Is that how you knew when and where to find us at the castle? You could sense Clow Reed when I gave my powers to Yue?"

"Yes."

Yue ducked closer to her. "Can you sense Clow Reed now?"

She shook her head. "No. The power has been cut off once more."

Yukito noticed it within Yue and wondered loudly until Yue gave in and asked on his behalf, "Why does that trouble you so?" Yue might not have cared for the crestfallen expression on the strange woman's face, but Yukito was far more soft-hearted than Yue had ever been.

Kaho's voice was low. "Because such little power will never break the Seal. And if the Seal fails to break soon, there may be no hope left."

Touya growled. "We should turn around. Go back."

"We would never reach them in time," Kaho said. "We can only go forward. And, while there is nothing we can do for this, there may be something the Prince of the White Jade Throne can offer. We must reach him quickly."

"If he's so powerful," Yue's tone dripped with disdain, "why does he not come to meet us and save us the time?"

Kaho shook her head. "He cannot. We will have enough trouble crossing the border as it is."

"But you're here," Touya pointed out.

"Someone might have ensured such was possible," Kaho said vaguely.

Touya sighed. "Mother. I wish I had known."

"If it eases your heart," Kaho said, "I believe she wished she could have told you. But she had faith in you, and in the others."

"Then I will try to deserve it." Touya leaned low over his horse's neck. "I know you are tired, but please go on as fast as you can. There is no more time to waste!"

They thundered northward.

-==OOO==-

Even working together, it took the seven little creatures until well after dark to get Sakura all the way back to the clearing and their cherry tree. Cakey managed to support most of her weight, but the others were too small to do much other than clear the way for Sakura's stumbling steps. They were obliged to stop several times to curl around Sakura, who could not stop shivering with cold; her dress was still wet from the river.

Sakura went where she was bade and accepted the help her friends offered, but she said nothing the whole way.

When they at last reached the tree, Cakey sent the friends out in several directions. He helped Sakura into her bed, while Alligator and Cat darted to the firepit to revive some ashes and heat some stones - these they could pack into the nest around Sakura to warm her. Bear and Rabbit ran into the woods to find more ferns and big leaves, anything they could pile up around her in place of proper blankets. Penguin and Goose settled in on top of Sakura to try to give her their little body-heat in the meantime.

And Cakey rested his tiny paws on the knot of roots that hung above their little space, the heart of the tree.

"King of the Forest, please hear me. I know what dwells within you. I know what you have done for this forest, how you have protected and nourished it. Please, if you have any power to spare, please help Sakura. She is cold and hurt and evil magic has been done to her tonight. Please lend her your strength."

The warm tree glowed more brightly than usual, and the tendrils of roots that formed Sakura's bed positively shone with golden light.

As the others returned, Cakey tucked the heated rocks and the additional bedding around Sakura. Each of the little creatures found a place to settle in on top of her, forming a patchwork blanket themselves.

"Sakura?" Cakey asked, tucked so close to her face he couldn't quite see her.

The response, when it came, was slow and lifeless. "What is it?"

"Are you hurt anywhere, Sakura?" Cakey asked. "Is that why you're so quiet?" He feared something else altogether, but he dared not ask it.

"No. I'm fine."

But the clipped, despondent tone was more alarming than if she had answered that she was injured. "Oh Sakura." He nuzzled her.

It was Cat who crawled up close enough to pat Sakura's cheek. "Don't give up, Sakura. You're going to be all right."

She did not answer.

Goose, curled up nearby, asked gently, "Why are you so sad, Sakura?"

Cakey felt the first splash of a tear land on his head.

"Because...you asked me to stay here in the tree...and I didn't. And...those birds tricked me! I feel so foolish!" And Sakura began to cry bitterly.

"It's not your fault!" Alligator snarled. "It's those stupid birds. They did this, not you!"

"We're not upset with you," Rabbit offered.

Penguin patted Sakura's hand. "We're just glad you're okay."

"We could never be upset with you for something like this," Bear said.

"It always happens this way!" Sakura sobbed. "I can't help anyone! Everyone always has to protect me, even when it hurts them! It's my fault! Everything that happened is my fault!"

Cakey froze. Carefully, as though his words could break glass, he asked, "How could everything be your fault, Sakura?"

Sakura's voice was pierced with anguish. "Because I don't have any magic to help anyone!"

The other six little creatures murmured softly, encouragingly, petting and cuddling. But Cakey was quiet for a few minutes.

Finally, he asked, "Sakura. Why don't you think you have any magic?"

That surprised Sakura enough that she stopped crying and blinked at him through watery eyes. She sat up slightly to peer at him. "Because I don't."

Cakey shook his head. "You have some magic, Sakura. You must, or the tree wouldn't light up for you."

Sakura sighed. "Well, I have a little. But nothing like Mother or Big Brother or even Syaoran. Not enough to matter."

Cakey was trying to come up with what to say next, but Cat beat him to it. "Sakura, I don't know anything about magic, but I know about you. I'm sure whatever you have, no matter how big, would make a difference. I'm sure if you tried to do your best, something would come of it."

"That's why I've always tried to stay cheerful," Sakura admitted. "Because I couldn't protect us or hide us from Madoushi, but I could keep Father and Big Brother smiling."

"That's a kind of magic, too, Sakura," Goose said softly. "It doesn't have spells, but it's magic all the same. Love is always magic. Sometimes it's even stronger magic."

Cakey looked at Goose in surprise and saw Goose's black eyes shining with deep, mysterious shadows. His heart swelled with hope.

Sakura closed her eyes and settled back into the bed. "If that were enough to make a difference, it would have by now."

Cakey could almost feel the despair rolling off her. He had never been good at saying the right things carefully, but now he hoped he could do it this one time with all his might.

"Sakura. I know you don't have the power of your Big Brother or your Mother or your friend. But even a small light can be seen in the darkness. Just because you don't think you're as powerful as them doesn't mean you're not powerful at all."

"But it's not worth anything if I can't do anything about it," Sakura whispered.

Cakey touched her cheek very softly. "It's worth something to me and to all of us. And if you stop being so afraid of it, I think you would find you can do something after all. More than you realize."

Cat purred at Sakura for a moment. "Remember, love and magic are not that different. And you have a lot of love, Sakura. Maybe that would be enough."

"And we love you," Rabbit said. The others echoed the feeling even as sleep began to claim them all after their exhausting day.

"I love you, too. And I'm sorry. But thank you all." Sakura let the warmth of the tree and her friends carry her away into oblivion, even as her tears dried on her cheeks.

But when only Cakey remained awake, when all six of the little creatures and Sakura were deeply asleep, he sat up and perched on Sakura's chest where he could stare at the Key.

"You don't lack magic, Sakura. And you don't lack courage, either. You lack faith in yourself. And that is making all the difference." He reached out and touched the Key.

It shivered for a moment before it began to glow merrily.

"I understand now. I'll do whatever I can to help you, Sakura. I promise."

-==OOO==-

Sakura knew she was dreaming, though she had never known a dream quite like this before.

She felt as though she were flying high in the air, looking down at the castle where she had lived for so long. Even in the dream, Sakura flinched as she flew over the garden where her mother had died. But there was nothing shadowy or scary about the garden now. Instead, it was lovely and vibrant as it had been before the time of Madoushi.

Sakura suddenly saw herself running about on the grass with her friends as a much younger child. She could see Syaoran, as young as when he had first come to the castle, standing to the side. She could see Touya and Yukito lounging under a tree nearby, talking to her father.

And she could see her mother.

"Mother!" Sakura cried out.

She yearned to drop lower, to see her mother more closely. But instead, the dream lifted Nadeshiko to Sakura, the High Priestess levitating into the air as easily as a butterfly.

Sakura's eyes filled with tears. "Mother…"

"Don't be frightened," Nadeshiko said softly. "There is something I want you to see."

Suddenly the scene grew dark. But Sakura was beside her mother and could not be afraid in her presence, so she looked up at the sky. To one side, the sun was setting low in the west. To the other, the full moon was rising in the east. And above, the first stars of the night were beginning to emerge from the sky. The garden below - the very world below - fell away.

"The Sun and the Moon can both hide the power of the Stars," Nadeshiko said softly. "They shine much brighter on the earth. But unlike how light cannot exist without dark, the stars still shine in the dark. And even if a bright moon or a bright sun hide the stars, they are always present above us. Their light shines on its own whether or not anyone can see it."

"I don't understand, Mother." Sakura turned to her.

"And the stars are with us always, even if the moon is hidden, even if the sun has set. The stars guide us through the dark to the light. Remember it, Sakura. When you are lost, trust the Stars to guide you and put your faith in their power."

Sakura felt a wind rise and reached out even as the Sun and Moon faded. "Mother! Don't leave me!"

Nadeshiko smiled at her daughter and drew her into her arms for a moment. "I love you, Sakura. Do your best. And I am sure that you will understand. I am sure that…"

The wind blew harder and Nadeshiko vanished. Sakura was left alone in the dark.

"Mother! Come back!"

Another voice answered her in the starry void.

Water is a thing that must flow.

Several of the stars from above soared down to surround Sakura. As she watched, six stars danced and spun around her, only for each to break apart into many more pieces and continue spinning and dancing.

The familiar voice spoke again, reminding Sakura of her father, but not quite. Let the water flow, young one. Just as time must flow. Just as truth must flow.

"I don't understand!"

Listen to your heart. It, too, must flow freely. For when all things flow forward correctly, the light can be reborn anew.

The spinning points of light winked out and Sakura dropped from the dream into the void of sleep.

-==OOO==-

Madoushi sensed the return of her birds long before they reached the castle. It was deep into the night, most of the way towards the false dawn, when they alighted on her outstretched hands in her ruined room.

"Show me," Madoushi commanded.

The birds vanished into a whirl of water which Madoushi breathed in deeply.

Through the eyes that were her spies, Madoushi saw their memories of locating the girl with the Key deep in the forest. She saw them enchant and bewitch her, dragging her into the river.

"Good! Now, where is the Key?"

But the memories continued, showing that as the birds had waited for the stubborn girl's life to run out in their deadly spell, a series of little shapes had appeared. Madoushi was stunned to realize that she could not perceive them clearly. They looked like some sort of small forest creatures, but she could not make out their bodies. They were hazy to her sight.

"What power is this?"

The little shapes dove into the water and broke the spell the birds had cast, pulling the girl to the surface and reviving her. Madoushi could not see precisely what they had done, but when the girl sat up, coughing and breathing, the Key still securely around her neck, she knew it mattered not. They had undone the magic of her birds and had saved the girl's life.

"Curse that girl! Where does such power come from? How could she have enchanted guardians so easily?"

Madoushi opened her mouth and her birds flew out. As one, they tipped their heads questioningly.

"No. I will go myself. You will lead me to her."

Madoushi stepped from her window into the air, her power billowing around her as she once again transformed into a storm.

"I know my powers will be bound if I cross that priestess's barrier, but even if they are limited, I will still have enough strength to find that girl. And once I find her and acquire her Key, I will have enough magic to dispel this barrier once and for all and no power will stand against me ever again!"

Madoushi launched herself against the barrier that was Kinomoto Nadeshiko's legacy. She screamed as it tore at her, pulling her magic from her and reducing her from a vibrant storm to only a small stream of water. When Madoushi had crossed the barrier entirely, she reformed not into her imposing, imperial human form, but rather a bent and withered old woman wrapped only in a tattered cloak.

But Madoushi did not rage at the indignified transformation.

"You have failed, priestess! In this form, while most of my powers are kept from me, that child will not know me until it is too late! Even if I have to kill her with these bare, mortal hands, she will die and her powers and her Key will restore me!"

Madoushi's birds appeared in the air before her and began to wing slowly into the forest. The disguised queen set after them with a fiery anger that burned in her heart.

"I have foreseen the child's weakness. By the next sunset, I will have her life and her power and everything of Clow's will be mine for all time!"

-==OOO==-

Far below and moving in the opposite direction, Kinomoto Fujitaka was not aware of the false queen's evil plans. He was far more focused on his own task.

"Stay together," he advised. "The path here is difficult, but I'm sure we can make it."

Beside him, Daidoji Tomoyo shivered. "I'm just grateful to be away from the castle. I was so frightened!"

Fujitaka smiled kindly at the girl who had once been Sakura's closest friend. It was her aid that had allowed him to find as many innocent people in the castle willing to flee with him in the night.

Fujitaka had come upon the girl staring out a window with sorrow in her eyes; Tomoyo had explained that she had been forbidden to leave the castle and go visit her mother by the guards who did not wish to unbar the gates with the queen in such a rage. She had even attempted to escape in the middle of the night, only to be threatened to be taken directly to the queen for punishment before she had been left locked in an anteroom - one Fujitaka had happened to open while looking for others whom he could rescue.

It had taken some careful probing, but Fujitaka had determined that Tomoyo, for all her youth, was remarkably clear-headed about the evil and maliciousness of Madoushi. When Fujitaka had suggested he had a way of helping her, Tomoyo had begged him to let her bring others who shared their own doubts along.

And so it was that Fujitaka was leading a small company of refugees from the castle, men and women and children of all stations, from guards and cooks to the children of nobility like Tomoyo. To his private interest, the majority of those who had joined him in this journey were those whom he would have counted his own friends, or friends of his children or Nadeshiko, either before the coming of Madoushi or since. In fact, there were no strangers to him at all amongst the group, even if they were unknown to one another.

Fujitaka wondered if this was the doing of Nadeshiko, and prayed with deep gratitude for her help.

Suddenly, Tomoyo stopped.

"Are you all right?" Fujitaka broke from his thoughts to face the pale girl.

Tomoyo gave another shiver, but this one seemed neither from cold, nor fear. Then she peered at Fujitaka with grey, blinking eyes. "Do you know a girl with brown hair and green eyes?"

Fujitaka paused. "There is a servant girl like that," he said carefully. "But no one else."

Tomoyo put a hand to her forehead. "I...I know I met her in the gardens once but...I feel as though I have dreamed of her. But I don't know how that is possible because I am not asleep."

Fujitaka patted her shoulder. "I am certain you will understand if you simply allow yourself to see the truth."

Tomoyo nodded. "Yes. Thank you. I will continue now. But...tell me. Do you know that girl well?"

"Yes. " Fujitaka nodded. "I know her very well."

"Is she...okay?"

Fujitaka swallowed. "I hope so."

But his fears had grown. If Madoushi's spell preventing the people of the Kingdom of Clow from recalling himself and his family was weakening, it could mean that there would be others who would remember himself or Sakura or Touya for what they really were. There might be others, those loyal to Madoushi, who might seek them out.

On the other hand, Fujitaka considered, if the curse was weakening, did that mean Madoushi's time was coming to an end? And if so, what could that mean? Who would defeat her? And how?

But first, Fujitaka had to lead his people through Nadeshiko's secret tunnel. At the end of this, only then could he decide how best to serve his kingdom and protect his family from whatever was beginning to occur.

-==OOO==-

Unbeknownst to either Fujitaka or Madoushi herself, every person still left in the castle when Madoushi forced her way through the barrier of the High Priestess fell victim to the same paralyzing curse that had been Madoushi's punishment to her own people.

Servants, guards, and nobles, from every station and every part of the castle dropped where they stood and did not rise.

And the barrier, once fully breached, closed and locked the castle within itself.

For Kinomoto Nadeshiko's curse and barrier was not only meant to weaken Madoushi - it was a last defense for the people whose will had been entirely overcome. Now that the queen was gone and her influence waning, they would not wake until the danger had passed.

And if Madoushi returned victorious, they would not wake at all.

-==OOO==-

The light of dawn had just reached the very tops of the trees, making them glow like torches sprung from the very forest floor, when Kaho called a halt. The flagging pair of horses, sweaty and breathing heavily, dropped into a walk with heads hanging low.

But Touya was not so relieved. "Where are we?" he demanded.

"We have just reached the edge of the Kingdom of Clow," Kaho replied, her voice serene in spite of her own exhaustion.

Yue frowned. "The palace of the White Jade Throne lies north another day or more along the road we abandoned hours ago. Why did you bring us here instead?"

"Because the Prince of the White Jade Throne isn't at the palace," Kaho replied. "He is here, at a small estate right on the edge of his lands."

"I don't see anything," Touya said.

"That," Kaho dismounted, "is the problem of the border."

Touya and Yue exchanged glances and Touya dismounted from his horse as well. Yue settled in beside Touya and crossed his arms, waiting.

Kaho started to walk, leading her horse off the small road - now more a path than a road - they had been following into the forest proper. "You couldn't know, but ever since the coming of Madoushi, no one has crossed the border in or out of the Kingdom of Clow besides myself."

"How is that possible?" Yue asked, walking beside Touya. "You are the one who told us that High Priestess Nadeshiko created a barrier to contain Madoushi at the castle."

"It was not Madoushi's doing. The Emperor is the one who gave the order."

"Why?" Touya's frustration was growing, and Yue's own suspicion was not helping him maintain his composure. He almost wished Yue would switch with Yukito so he would have the calm and polite reserve of his companion to ground and reassure him for all this, but he knew that Yue would never leave him unprotected in the presence of any unknown person with so much magic.

Kaho did not stop walking as she explained. "The Emperor was warned of Madoushi's coming. Though the people of Clow would do their best to contain and defeat her, he knew it would be many years before Madoushi's threat could be eliminated entirely. Because he could not risk having such a dangerous foe unguarded, particularly on a border which has long been peaceful and thus undefended, he commanded his greatest sorcerer to create a magical shield that would keep Madoushi from entering his own lands."

"And what about the lands to the other side of Clow?" Touya asked. "Why were those borders also closed?"

"The sorcerer who cast the spell shared the Emperor's concern of Madoushi's threat, but was not bound by the same treaties that prevent the Emperor from interfering in the affairs of other kingdoms. The Emperor could not do anything about any border other than his own, but the sorcerer he tasked with the working was not under any such obligation. That person instead decided to cast a spell around the whole of the Kingdom of Clow to prevent anything, magical or mundane, from passing in or out of it for as long as Madoushi was a threat."

Yue bristled. "Another powerful magician who did nothing to help the Kingdom of Clow when we were in danger. I am sure Clow Reed would be displeased if he knew how many false friends now surround his people."

Kaho did pause at that, though she did not turn. "Your anger is justified. And it does no good for me to remind you that some things must happen in a certain way for the best outcome to be realized, for you will not believe me. And perhaps you should not. But those who you believe have forsaken you are now those most ready to help you."

"And why should we trust them?" Yue returned with cold fury.

But Touya held up a hand. He was trying not to dwell on the same pain and betrayal Yue shared, trying to think as his father would in his position. If Yue was going to carry the righteous and justified anger of the kingdom, Touya would have to be the steward of its reason and patience. Not a role he enjoyed, true, but one he could counterfeit if needed.

Besides, Touya had a far more worrying question. "And what will be the cost of this help?"

Kaho turned her head enough for a slight smile to be illuminated in the growing dawn light. "A promise, and an act of mercy."

Before Touya or Yue could question her, Kaho pointed deeper into the forest. "There. That is the border, and we must now concentrate on crossing it with all our power."

Touya squinted, then shook his head. "I don't see anything."

"I do," Yue peered into the darkness of the forest. "It is...a reflection. A mirror."

"Yes," Kaho said. "Were you to stumble into it unknowingly, you would wander in a seemingly unending woods for a time, and then find yourself turned around and back where you had begun. Any mortal or even a person of magic who approaches the border will be magically redirected in an unending loop, unable to cross it."

"Then how did you get here?" Touya asked.

"With this."

From the small bag Kaho had carried at her hip, she drew an oddly-shaped item. It was golden and rounded like a crescent moon with a handle connecting the two curved parts into a half-circle. On the broad, flat part of the crescent shape was an intricate design, and one both Touya and Yue recognized.

"That is Clow's own signature!" Yue's fingers twitched - he would not have admitted it even to Yukito had he any ability to prevent his other self from knowing, but he longed to touch the sigil of their creator.

"Yes," Kaho said. "It was entrusted to the Prince of the White Jade Throne long ago."

Touya's eyes narrowed. "How will any power of Clow Reed's help break the magic of one of the Emperor's sorcerers?"

"It will not. But it will summon the one who can." Kaho raised the bell. "Now, stand quite close to me."

Yue moved alongside Touya, but kept the young man on his other side, away from the mysterious woman. He pressed as close to Kaho as he could without actually touching her, eyeing the bell in her hand. Touya, on his other side, squeezed the reins of his horse, but otherwise made no outward sign of his own apprehension.

Kaho rang the bell with a flick of her wrist. The sound was a loud crash far beyond what such a small item could have produced without magic. It echoed in the woods like the shattering of marble and glass and metal, bouncing through the air strangely.

Yue felt the very ground beneath him warming and instinctively spread one of his wings to shelter Touya.

Kaho sounded the bell a second time. Now, the very air seemed to shiver, like disturbed water in a pond.

"It can't be," Yue whispered. Touya looked at him in surprise; he had never in all his life heard the Moon Guardian so unsettled, so unsure of himself. Touya wondered what he could see, what he himself would have seen had he not surrendered his magic to help Yue.

Kaho rang the bell a third time.

And the very forest around them seemed to bend. Space itself warped and changed until it resembled a mirror cast in the shape of a tunnel. To either side and behind the small group, the trees continued on forever, though their forms were increasingly distorted as they drew closer to the magical border.

Now a clear passageway emerged, the forest to either side parting along a grassy lane that was rather out of place. The sun had risen enough to clearly illuminate the forest - and the stately manor house just beyond the border.

Touya realized what had caught Yue's attention at once.

For just at the place where the border's magic was distorted stood a figure draped in white, black, and blue. He was young, or at least he appeared to be of a similar age to Sakura and Syaoran. But behind his spectacles, there was a face Touya knew from the many hangings and murals throughout the Kingdom of Clow.

But how could Clow Reed be here in the body of a boy?

"Greetings," came a voice that was too low and serene for a boy. "I am Hiiragizawa Eriol, Prince of the White Jade Throne. Please be welcome in my domain."

-==OOO==-

It was dawn and Syaoran had not slept all night. But though he yearned to keep moving forward, to make more progress, he was worried about his ability to continue.

"Apparently draining my energy twice in the same week is not wise," he muttered to himself.

After almost falling into a river, Syaoran gave an aggrieved sigh and found a small hollow between the roots of some river trees.

"Only for an hour or two," he said to himself as a promise. "Then there won't be any more time to waste."

He was asleep almost at once.

-==OOO==-

To Yue's great shame and annoyance, he had absolutely no memory of any time between the revelation of one who bore a tantalizing, almost painfully acute resemblance to Clow Reed and finding himself snugly tucked in Yukito's mind while his other self settled around a long table for refreshments with that same haunting person as well as Touya and Kaho.

Are you back with us yet, my other self? Yukito asked, both amused and concerned.

When did you switch?

When it became apparent to me that you would do nothing but stare at Prince Hiiragizawa until the world froze over, came the wry reply. Don't worry. I don't think anyone noticed your mouth hanging open and Touya wouldn't say so even if he did. Yukito shared brief images of rushed greetings and the quick work to get the horses settled in well-appointed stables.

You are not as funny as you believe yourself to be, my own.

And you're in a rare mood, Yue. Does the sight of one so like Clow Reed trouble you that much?

Yue didn't answer, directly; he did not need to - Yukito could feel the answer clearly enough. I'm not sure if I should be offended that it troubles you so little. And here I accused you of having a more human heart than I.

Yukito's thoughts were quiet for a moment before he answered, Perhaps you are more correct than we realized. After all, humans can learn to accept loss and move on. I think it may be only one like yourself who cannot grow and change in spite of centuries of time.

Be careful, Yukito. You're starting to sound like you are not as dense as I know you to be.

Yukito did not have time to come up with a rejoinder, as his attention was pulled back to the situation at hand. Prince Hiiragizawa Eriol of the White Jade Throne had taken a seat on a high-backed, red-cushioned chair at the head of the table, Mizuki Kaho settling easily into a place of honor to his left. Touya had been offered the chair directly across from her and Yukito had taken the seat on Touya's right.

"I know time is no friend to us," the Prince said gravely, "but weakness and exhaustion are also no friends. Please, eat and restore yourselves for the difficulty to come."

Touya inclined his head. "Thank you, Prince Hiiragizawa. I would like to offer an apology for my father, Kinomoto Fujitaka, that he did not come to you himself."

The Prince inclined his head. "I thank you, but it is not necessary. Clearly, the place of the Steward is with his people in such a delicate moment. I am not insulted. Rather, I am quite pleased to have both of you in his stead. This will simplify things."

Yue was grateful that Yukito had switched them after all - it meant he could stare at the Prince as much as he wished without having to concern himself with schooling the expression on his face. Yue knew his focused attention was distracting for Yukito, but he could not help it. The boy looked so very much like Clow.

Yukito coughed delicately. "Prince Hiiragizawa, if I may inquire…"

The Prince smiled a lazy, knowing smile that was all too familiar. "I imagine the Guardian within you is in some confusion. Would it help for me to explain?"

But Yukito was always polite. "Only if it pleases you, your Highness."

"I assure you, it does. Now, I ask that you forget all that you know or think you know of me, for most of it is rumor or misdirection. What I will tell you is knowledge you may not share without my express permission - indeed, you will find it impossible to speak of save to those I have deemed worthy." His grey eyes flashed for a moment.

He is very powerful, Yue thought at Yukito. He can cast magic by will alone.

Clow Reed could do that as well, Yukito remembered. But he rarely troubled himself with it.

That marks the only difference between them that I have yet seen, Yue thought.

"Yes," the Prince said after a moment. "I am aware of the resemblance you cannot help but notice in me, and the reason for it is quite simple. I remind you strongly of Clow Reed because we are of the same blood. Clow Reed was my formidable elder brother."

Yue reacted before Yukito could prevent him. He switched places with Yukito in a flash of furious silver light, arriving standing beside the table, wings fully extended, and proceeded to slam his palms down on the table's surface with a loud crash. "Impossible!"

Please don't start an international incident, Yukito thought with some annoyance at him. Beside him, Touya's expression said much the same. But Yue was only truly watching the Prince.

"Is it so impossible, Yue?"

"Of course it is! We lived with Clow for centuries! If he had had a brother, we would have known!"

The Prince leaned back in his chair, a smug expression on his face. "Unless Clow himself did not want you to be aware of my existence. As was his choice."

"Why?"

The Prince folded his hands and peered over his glasses at Yue in a posture so familiar it tore a cold pang in his heart. "Yue, your loyalty to Clow has always been profound and unquestionable. However, when he died, if you had known about me, would you truly have carried out his will?"

Yue froze.

The Prince leaned forward very slowly. "Would you have cherished the kingdom my brother left behind? Nourished its people? Defended its magic? Would you have sought his true heir and inheritor? Or would you instead have journeyed here to beg or demand that I become your new master, that I break the Seal myself and take up my brother's office?"

He's right, Yukito whispered in Yue's mind. We would have.

"I am not my brother, Yue. What the Kingdom of Clow has always needed is the inheritor of Clow's own powers and will, and I am not that person. Had you known of me, that knowledge might have delayed you in seeking your true master, and that delay would have been disastrous."

Yue closed his eyes. The truth of the Prince's words hurt, and he could not deny them.

"If it is any comfort, Yue," the Prince's voice had gone quite soft, "I miss him, too. We were born many, many years apart, but he was my brother and we were closely connected in ways only you and your other half can imagine."

Yue knew what he had lost when he had lost Clow Reed. He shuddered to imagine losing Yukito, that steady, completely understanding presence in his mind. Without Yukito, Yue would have been profoundly alone.

But you aren't. I'm here.

Yue held onto that certainty and opened his eyes. "Very well." Then, after a moment, "I apologize for my rudeness."

The Prince smiled. "It was to be expected."

Touya took a breath and spoke. "If it's not too much to presume, are you the sorcerer who cast the barrier around our kingdom to keep Madoushi in and prevent her from attacking other lands?"

At that, the Prince's eyebrows rose and he nodded. "An impressive deduction. Yes, I am."

"My father's knowledge of you was a bit sparse," Touya continued, "but if you are truly the brother of Clow Reed, then it would follow that you are the same Prince of the White Jade Throne that has always been here, going all the way back to when Yue told me Clow used to visit here."

The Prince's approval was obvious. "Correct. Even without your magic, you are rather sharp, Kinomoto Touya. You do your father great honor."

Touya accepted the praise coolly. "I won't ask you why you didn't help us before. I have already had that discussion." His eyes flicked to Kaho who smiled demurely. "The only thing that matters now is what we can do to help our future."

The Prince nodded. "Though, if you wish to argue about the past, I invite a spirited debate with you later. I imagine it would be great fun."

Tell Touya to watch out if he does, Yukito thought at Yue. If he argues anything like Clow did, Touya will put his fist through a wall in sheer frustration.

You tell him yourself. I seem to recall you have other things to tell him, Yue returned, regaining his inner equilibrium.

I do?

Sometimes I cannot believe you are half of me. You are honestly more dense than Keroberos!

"To the matter at hand," the Prince said. "Once you have eaten and restored your energy, we will have to set out at once."

"I thought you couldn't enter the kingdom," Touya said.

The Prince took a delicate sip of tea from the exquisite cup before him. "It is difficult, yes. And once I do cross the border that I put in place, there will be no hiding my magical signature from Madoushi. She will, I am certain, be rather interested in a source of power so like Clow Reed's own. She will pursue me with all her energy."

"You must be far stronger than she. You could easily defeat her," Yue said.

"While true, that is also irrelevant at the moment."

"Why?" Touya asked.

"Because Madoushi will not be undone by mere force alone. The only way to defeat her and undo the last of her curse upon the kingdom is for her to be vanquished by a stronger power than that which spawned her in the first place."

"So will you enter the kingdom?" Yue asked.

"As I said. We will finish our meal and prepare ourselves, and then I will join you."

"What will make that any different from going right now, or a year ago?" Touya's voice was dropping and even Yue could feel the concern growing in a storm around him.

"Because by the time we leave, Madoushi will be entirely focused elsewhere. She will not be interested in us even when we arrive in support of her defeat. The one who will overcome her should be occupying all her attention."

"Who is that, the one able to defeat Madoushi?" Yue asked.

"The one who can break the Seal on the Key, of course."

Touya gripped the edge of the table until his fingers shook and his knuckles went white. "No."

The Prince turned his sharp eyes on Touya. When he spoke, his words were low and commanding.

"You can raise no objection. Even I, who can see far into the many futures that await us all, do not know for certain if she will succeed, or even if she will survive. The danger is great. But I tell you this, Kinomoto Touya, that if the person in whom Clow Reed and I have placed our faith proves unworthy to this task, it will not be her fault alone. For we are not the ones who burdened Kinomoto Sakura with an additional Seal to break, and one far more insidious than Clow's on the Key.

"That fault lies squarely with you, son of High Priestess Nadeshiko. And if that Seal prevents her from realizing her own destiny, you will deserve whatever grief awaits you as a consequence."

The Prince pushed back from the table and rose, his cold, accusing gaze pinning Touya and Yue in place.

"Your good intentions do not make up for the harm you have done. Now we will learn if your Seal is more potent than the heart and soul of one who should have been stronger, one who rightly bears the Key. However, if it is, I am certain there is nothing I could do to you that would be worse than what you will suffer if she fails."